Buggy-top support.



J. BENNETT.

BUGGY TOP SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED 0012s, 1911.

1,023 800. Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

WITNESSES INVENTOR i A Home JOSEPH BENNETT, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

BUGGY-TOP SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 23, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

Serial No. 656,248.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buggy-Top Supports, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a prop or supportfor a buggy top, when the latter is in lowered position, and serves to cushion the shocks incident to the bouncing of the top as the buggy passes over obstructions or uneven places in the road.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction of devices of this character so as to be comparatively simple and inexpensive to manu facture, reliable and efficient in use, and so designed as to serve as an attachment on ordinary buggies.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a buggy top support having a novel arrangement of springs that are adapted to take up the shocks to which the top is subjected.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side view of the seat portion of a buggy showing the top support or prop applied thereto and the bows of the top in lowered position and resting on the prop. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the buggy top support or prop. Fig. 3 is an end view thereof.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a buggy seat having the usual bracket 1 to which the bows 2, 3 and 1 of the buggy top are connected, and also having at its rear portion a prop bolt or stud 5 that is adapted to support the weight of the buggy top when the latter is lowered, it being understood that there are brackets 1 and studs 5 at both sides of the seat A. The support or prop B is mounted on the stud 5 in such a position that the rear bow 4 of the buggy top will directly rest thereon, the device B forming a cushioning or shock-absorbing means between the buggy top and the prop bolt or stud 5.

By reference to Fig. 2, the details of construction of the device B will be appar ent, the device consisting of a base member 6 and a rest member or bow seat 7 which is yieldingly supported on and above the base 6. The base 6 is made of metal or other suitable material of any desired shape having a sleeve or tubular portion 8, the bore 9 of which is non-circular in cross-section to fit the prop stud or bolt 5. The bow rest 7 is a short bar in the form of a trough so as to receive the buggy top bow and extends at right angles to the axis of the sleeve 8, above which it is located. At one end, the rest 7 is supported on one or more springs 10 and at the opposite end it is supported on one or more springs 11, the former springs being rigidly fastened to both the base 6 and seat or rest 7. The rear end of the rest 7 is formed with longitudinally-extending members 12 that pass through eyes 13 on the upper ends of the springs 11, and these eyes slide back and forth on the members 12 as the seat 7 springs up and down. The springs 11 have coiled portions 14 which are anchored to the top side of the base by fastenings 15. The eyes 13 are united by a connecting portion 16 so that the springs 11 can be made of a single piece of wire, if desired. The port-ions of the springs 11 between the coils 14 and eyes 13 are inclined rearwardly so as to yield downwardly when the weight of the buggy top is placed upon the rest 7, and as the buggy top bounces up and down, the springs 11 will yield downwardly and rebound upwardly to thus assist in taking up the shock. The front springs 11 are bowed and may be made of wire, each spring having a coil 17 to increase the resiliency. The springs terminate at. their upper ends in bars 18 that extend longitudinally of and along the sides of the bow seat or rest 7 and pass through lugs 19 and 20 formed on the sides of the latter, the said bars being of such length as to form the members 12 with which the rear springs 11 engage. The eyes 13 of the rear springs engage behind the rear lugs 20 of the rest and thereby prevent the rest from slipping rearwardly off the rods. The springs 10 have their lower portions formed into eyes 21 that bear fiat against the front end of the base 6 to which the eyes are fastened in any suitable manner, as for instance, by screws 22. The eyes 21 are connected by a right angular loop portion 23 that fits against the top of the base at the front end so as to give a more rigid bearing for the springs on the base, the said springs being made of a single piece of wire in this manner. The tension of the springs 10 is such that the bow rest or seat 7 tends to move upwardly, but the rest is held downwardly against the tension of the springs 10 by the connection of the springs 11 with the members 12. Of course, the springs 10 will yield at the same time that the springs 11 yield so as to effectively cushion the buggy top.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, is

1. A buggy top prop or support comprising a base adapted to fit on the prop bolt or stud of a buggy body, a bow rest, means for yieldingly supporting the front end of the bow rest on the base and connecting the rest and base together, and a yielding device connected with the base and slidably vconnected with the rear end of the rest.

2. Abuggy top support comprisingabase, a bow rest, means for connecting the front portion of the rest with the base, a member extending longitudinally of the rest at the rear end, and a spring connected with the base and connected with and slidable longitudinally of the member.

3. A device of the class described com prising a base, a bow rest, means for connecting the base and rest together for relative movement, a member extending longitudinally of the rest, a spring fastened to the base, and means on the free end of the spring connected with and movable longitudinally of the member as the rest moves up and down.

At. A device of the class described comprising a base element, a bow rest element, means for connecting the elements for rela tive movement, a spring having one end Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

rigidly connected with one element and the other end slidably connected with the other element, a member extending longitudinally of and fastened to one element, and a spring secured to the other element and having an eye engaging the member and slidable longitudinally thereof as the rest moves up and down.

5. The combination of a base element, a rest element, means for connecting the elements together for relative movement, a pair of parallel members extending longitudinally of and rigid on one element, and a pair of springs fastened to the other element and having their free ends slidably connected with the said members.

6. A device of the class described comprising a base element, a rest element, means for yieldingly supporting the front end of the rest element on the base element, a pluralit-y of rods extending longitudinally of the rest, and a plurality of springs fastened to the base element and having their free ends slidably connected with the said rods.

7. The combination of a base element, a rest element, a plurality of springs supporting the front end of the rest element on the base, a plurality of springs fastened to the base element and slidably connected with the rear portion of the rest element, said first-mentioned springs being tensioned to raise the rest element from the base element and opposed by the last-mentioned springs, both sets of springs being yieldable downwardly when the weight of the buggy top is placed on the rest element.

8. The combination of a base, a rest above the same, lugs on the rest, rods extending through the lugs and having spring portions connecting the front end of the rest with the base, and a yielding means between the base and rest, said means slidably engaging the rods and serving to hold the rest thereon.

9. The combination of a base, a restabove the same, a pair of bowed springs connected with the base and with the front end of the rest and having rod-like portions extending longitudinally of the rest at the sides thereof, the said rest having lugs through which the rods extend, a pair of springs connected with the base and having eyes slidably engaging the rear ends of the rods and disposed behind the rearmost lugs of the rest to retain the latter on the rods.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH BENNETT.

Witnesses:

BEN SMITH, ARTHUR J. STERN.

Washington, I). 0. 

